I’m very glad to find this excellent article again!!!
NOTE: I corrected a few spelling errors, deleted a few potentially confusing portions (the Hebrews 6 factor and some old covenant correlations, indicated by ellipses in brackets), added some comments in brackets (with “– ed.”), and left-justified all lines. All else was left as is.
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Teachers of the Once Saved Always Saved doctrine, I plead with you, do not forsake the warnings; preach them to the sheep! God will NOT hold you guiltless for the souls who perish from this error in doctrine! Warn them that their sins, their disobedience, their evil deeds, unless repented, may cost them their soul, and their blood will be upon YOUR hands!
– Brian O’Connell
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From: jesusfreak.com, who writes:
This article was originally posted at www.crossbearer.net and written by that site’s owner, Brian O’Connell. I also recommend this article he wrote that also calls for believers to endure in following Jesus no matter what.
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Once saved, always saved?
As I begin this study, I must make some statements. First, every Christian is struggling with sin. Temptation is always at our doorstep, and sometimes we fall into the sin. The child of God Repents, even if we must repent over and over again, we repent! We call out to Jesus to help us. Our hearts desire to serve the Lord, and we strive to turn away from sin and walk in obedience. To those who fall into this description [to those who actually do overcome, whose hearts are pure and therefore guilt-free – ed.], I wish to assure you, your salvation is secure with Christ. But there are others, who use this security as a license to freely sin against God, and walk in disobedience, without a heart of repentance, feeling secure of their salvation while trampling Jesus underfoot and insulting the Holy Spirit of Grace (Heb. 10:29)! This study is written to confront these deceived souls, who may very well be in danger of perishing!
Did Jesus ever teach that once you are saved, that you cannot lose your salvation? We are assured eternal security, yes, but only to those who remain in the faith until the end. To those who Obey Him and overcome!
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt.7:21)
Mat 21:28-31
But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first.
If you will read the remaining verses in Matthew 21, it was the Pharisees who, after telling the Father they would obey, disobeyed God anyway. Then, there were those who at first, refused to obey while they were living in sin, but then repented, and DID THE WILL OF THE FATHER. It is no different than some today who trust on the OSAS doctrine to save them, like those pharisees who trusted that as children of Abraham, they were safe and secure while they continued to sin against God. After repentance and confessing Jesus Christ as Lord these OSAS students who trust their security, willfully return to their sinful vomit and live in disobedience to God, and claim that as Children of God, they will not have to pay the “wages of sin”, which is death!
“For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:20-22)
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt.7:21)
Hebrews 5:9 “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him”;
Acts 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
UNLESS WE REMAIN IN CHRIST, WE WILL PERISH!
Once saved Always saved teachers have disregarded the “IF” in the scriptures. It is a condition! I will give you $50 IF you will cut my grass. If you do NOT cut my grass, the $50 is NOT yours!
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; [2] By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory (hold fast, retain) what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:1-2 )
Albert Barne’s Commentary explains this verse as “The idea is, that they were saved by this, or would be, if they faithfully retained or held the doctrine as he delivered it; if they observed it, and still believed it...”
John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible puts it this way “it is the man that perseveres in the faith and doctrine of Christ that shall be saved; and everyone that has truly believed in Christ, and cordially embraced his Gospel, shall hold on, and out to the end;”
Compare the above scripture in 1 Cor. 15:1-2 with the Galatian church that did NOT retain the gospel that Paul preached and had “fallen from grace“. The end result of their fall from grace was that “Christ is become of NO effect unto you” !
“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace“. (Galatians 5:4)
This church was in grave danger of losing their salvation, having fallen from grace, by which Christ had become of no effect to them. Paul now labored to recover them before they were completely lost as he wrote this letter.
“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,” (Galatians 4:19)
If the people of this church were so very secure in their salvation, Paul would not have written this letter with the concern by which he wrote it, and the warnings of the fact that they have forsaken Christ and fallen from grace!
Later in this study, I will deal with the difference between “Works of the Law” which Paul was dealing with in the letter to the Galatians, and “Good Works” which James spoke of in his letter!
We shall now continue with the conditional “IF“!
“Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” (Romans 11:22)
“If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:6)
